Chains of Freedom
by Crimson Cutlery
Summary: The story of two trainers full of secrets brought together by circumstance. The two young men travel day by day, trying to accomplish their own ends, while keeping their goal, past and indentities hidden. This is a story of how they live their lives moving closer to their goal as the chains of their past close in to bind them, and how they slowly change themselves, and the world.
1. Prologue

-Zaaaack

-Zack!

-Breakfast is re-

I awake with a start and race to the kitchen

Before me upon the table lies a feast of bacon and spearow eggs, sunny side up. I was hungry

"Good morning to you too, Zack" says my mom as she comes down the stairs from my room

"Good morning mom" I try to say, through a mush of bacon and eggs

"Gee, you're hungry" says mom "Is it just that good this morning?"

"It's just as amazing as usual mom. I'm just excited. I told you how I'm going to the caves today. Steven promised to take me on his archeological expedition today. You know how long I've been waiting for this?"

"Yeah, Zack, I know. It's what you've been dreaming about for years now" she answers unenthusiastically

...And so the day continues. Zack prepares for his expedition, in anticipation of what he will find there. Not know that what he finds there will change his life forever...

I jog to the place on the coast, the meeting place for the day. Today's cave is near the water, and was recently discovered because ocean erosion on the coast. I see Steven approach on his bike, and I call out to him. "Hey, Steven, I'm over here!"

In came riding a moderately tall, thin blonde man, with tight short curls adorning his pleasant face. As always he's wearing his worn jean shorts and a canvas shirt.

"Sorry I'm late, little man" says Steven "I didn't know you'd be here so early"

"No worries, Steven, let's just hurry up and go!"

"Hold yer horses little man," says Steven, grabbing me by the shoulder, "there's something that we need to discuss first."

"Like what? I've been studying for so long for this moment!"

"Like this, bro. You gotta cool yer jets. This is a newly discovered cave. Nobody knows how safe it is to go into yet, so we have to move very slowly, very quietly, and most of all, we can't touch anything"

"Come on, please? I really want a souvenir! I want to remember this day forever, please?"

"No, and that's final. Sorry dude, but that's the way it's gotta be."

"Fine, I won't touch anything." I say. "Now let's go to the cave! What's it called again?"

"That would be 'Rock-Water Cave.' It's called that because it's exactly half filled with water. That is, for the most part."

We head on down the beach, him before me, watching as the sand diminishes and the stone increases along the side of the island. Eventually the sand disappears beneath the waves entirely, and we wade through the water. Only up to my ankles at first, but then then it rose up to my knees, proceeding higher and higher until I can stand it no longer when we arrive at Rock Water Cave.

It was a hole, about the size of a fully grown man, which went deep into the island. The water went halfway up the walls, as promised, and we climbed inside easily. The walls were smooth, but not rounded. They were covered in bulbous stones, smooth as finely crafted glass, and it made the walking tough.

We progressed, Steven and I, into the cave, I chest deep, Steven groin deep in the warm southern waters, when all of a sudden everything becomes dark. I look back, only to see the opening just as it had been before, with a strange foreboding feeling.

"Everything alright, little man?" calls Steven, a little bit further ahead.

"Yeah, I'm fine"

I wasn't fine.

We progressed further into the cave when all of a sudden, a torrent of water rushes towards us. Steven is swept away by the water and I see him fly past me, carried by the water. I try to shout but the water begins to suck me outwards. I am about to be lost to the ocean when my hand strikes upon the wall, and I hang on for dear life, but it came loose, and was swallowed by the ocean

* * *

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...

...

...

BREATHE!  
BREATHE, GOD DAMNIT!

Those were the first words I remembered.

I awoke, coughing up water profusely, to a middle aged man beating my chest in with all of his might. You have no idea what it's like to drown until you actually experience it. Your lungs burn as you run out of oxygen, like its being attacked by a rabid cheese grater from the inside, your eyes begin to fail you as salt stings your eyes, but the most painful part of the experience was yet to come.

* * *

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"Oh my god, y'alright, boy?!"

My vision began to clear, as I was awaking for the first time from the ocean, and to see my savior.

"I said, y'alright, boy!?"

I sat up with much effort, and looked at my surroundings. I was sitting on a boat, seas and waves all about me, not an ounce of land in sight.

"Ya better be answerin' me, else I be throwin y'off me boat!"

"Where am I?" I asked my loud savior.

"Thank the gods y'aint damaged from th'ocean. That sometimes be happenin' cuz o' the tentacools, useless bits a trash. Ya can't even eat the damn things. Ya be on the finest craft south o' fuchsia, boy, and I be the fastest sailor upon these here seas. Where ya from, boy? Awful far from home, I reckon, 'specially for a mite like yaself."

"Hey, I'm Zack, from Cinnabar Island."

"Cinnabar Island! Ya be a far ways from home now. Pleasha ta meet ya Zack. I be Oscar, o' the great Blue Seas. Now, might I ask, what be that thing stickin ta ya'r chest?"

"Hmm? What do you me-" I began to say as I looked down to see my entire chest covered by a dome of stone.

I screamed. What else can you do when you see your whole chest covered in stone?

"I guess ya hadn't noticed it yet. Don't worry, I got it"

Oscar grabbed the done by the lip near my face and ripped it from my chest, revealing 4 tears on my clothing

"Ah, it must've gotten stuck with these sharp bits on the bottom."

I was panting hard, scared half to death by what had just happened. I looked at it closely. I thought I had seen it before. I looked at it, trying to remember, but I came up with nothing.

"What is that?!" , I asked, breathing heavily

"Damned if I know, but if'n ya don't mind I'd like ta keep it with me. I aint neva seen a rock like that before."

"By all means, keep it" I say "That things scares the crap out of me"

"Thank ya kindly boy. Now i guess ya be wantin' a ferry home, eh?"

"That would be much appreciated, sir"

"WELL I CAN'T ABANDON ME GOD DAMN JOB SO EASILY! DON'T BE SO SELFISH!"

"Y-yes, sir"

"Now, if ya are ta be useful, ya'r gonna have to fish"

"Y-yes, sir"

Then Oscar handed me a fishing rod, and I went to work for him as we made our way slowly back to Cinnabar Island

* * *

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ONE WEEK LATER  
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"Looks like we be at ya home now, boy. Thanks for helpin' me out with me fishin'. I ain't neva caught so many fish!"

"Don't mention it Oscar, you did save my life after all." I said, slightly embarrassed.

"Naw, as a thank ya, I be givin' ya this'ere Goldeen thatcha caught. I wouldn' dare let such a beautiful pokemon be eaten by land lubbas. Not that the mite thing would go for much. Go ahead, take it ta rememba me by."

"Gee, thanks sir. I don't know what to say" I said, but what I was really thinking was "What the heck am I going to do with a Goldeen, not to mention a tiny one like this"

"Don't mention it. Maybe sometime if I be round these here parts, I'll visit ya, say me 'how d'ya do 's and the like."

"Sounds good to me, sir"

* * *

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All things to be said, said, and all things to be done, done, I began my trek home, and he, his, when I remembered the rock.

The rock.

THE ROCK!

Just then I remembered where I had seen it! It was one of the rocks from Rock-water cave! The professor would probably be very interested in such a find. I ran back to the harbour where I was dropped off, to find Oscars boat in the distance. What could I do? He was leaving with a possibly very important find...  
When I remembered my Goldeen. I hadn't so much as thought of her since I got her in Oscars Pokéball. I tossed the pokéball into the water , and she came bursting forth, suddenly incredibly beautiful.

"Goldeen! Find Oscar and bring him back here!" I commanded her, and she was gone in a moment.

* * *

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I sat on the docks, filled with apprehension and stress, when I hear a familiar voice above me.

"That was ya'r Goldeen, wasn't it? Why ya be sendin her afta me like that?"

"Oscar! I'm so glad you came back. Sir, I'm going to need that rock of yours. I just remembered it and I really need it."

"Well, if it be that important to ya, ya can have it. It was nothin more than a souvenir for me anyway. So this is goodbye now, can I leave to return to me kids, or is there anythin' else ya wanna discuss?"

"No, I promise I won't send Goldeen after you again. Goldeen, good job, you can return to your pokéball now... how do I use this thing, she won't come back. Oh, never mind, there's a button here, I got this."

Goldeen returned to her pokéball safe and sound.

"Bye Oscar! I hope to see you again someday!"

"If fate be allowin' us. Farewell, boy!"

And so I returned Home. When I arrived, the door was locked at an unusual hour, so I knocked on the door.

No answer.

I knock again.

No answer.

I knock a third time.

The door flies open and suddenly I am being crushed by a woman in tears. My mother. After all the explaining and storytelling, I made her take me to the professor, who I thought would be very interested in my story and in the rock for the cave, as she wouldn't let me out of her sight.

* * *

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I arrived at the Science Lab. Where all of the local scientists worked, and I asked around, until I found the man I was looking for. He was a bald headed man, and well moustached, with a brilliantly white lab coat, and smelled of something fierce, like charcoal and brimstone. I knew him well enough to recognize him, but we'd never spoken before.

"Excuse me, Mr. Blaine, there's something that I need to talk to you about."

"Oh, so you're the boy Steven has told me so much about. You were the one he was with the day he went missing, I presume?"

"What?" I asked in disbelief "Stevens gone? He can't be gone! I'm back, and Steven is way better than me! This can't be true!"

"I'm afraid it is. Can you tell me what happened?"

So for the second time of many, I recounted what had happened a week prior. At the end of my tale, Blaine sighed.

"May I see the rock you mentioned?" He asked.

I gave him the rock, wordlessly. The reality of Steven's disappearance was starting to set in. He muttered something to himself beneath his breath, which I couldn't hear.

"This is all very interesting, young man, Zack, was it? You can go home now, I will need some time to ponder the ramifications of what you have told me and find any significance to this rock you gave me. Come see me when you're ready"

"Ready for what?" I asked

"I wish I knew"

* * *

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I returned to the Science lab every day at noon and asked for Mr., I mean Dr. Blaine, but he hadn't been seen at all. Everyone thought he was sick or out at the gym every day, so he must have been a pretty good trainer, to spend every day training there, but I knew different. That look in the eye as I left . . . it wasn't a good one.

It was about two weeks before I caught Dr. Blaine in his lab, and he had a bit to say.

"Zack, sit down in my office, I have some things to say to you."

I sat as he asked. He looked quite professional from the other side of the desk.

"I have some serious matters to discuss with you, are you sure you're ready for this?"

I nod, reluctantly.

"Alright, this isn't easy for me to tell you, but your friend Steven was murdered. His body was found on the beach 3 days ago. It had all the signs of a regular Tentacool incident, except for one thing. I will spare you the details and say that we are fairly certain that we know who the culprit is."

I was rocked. Steven was dead? How? I had clung to the hope that he would soon find his way back home as I did for the last two weeks.

"Who could do such a thing?" I whispered.

"I knew you'd ask. We have reason to believe that it was caused by an organization called Team Rocket. We don't know why they killed Steven, but this is not a first time that Team Rocket has done such a thing. The worst part is that the police are useless when it comes to handling this terrorist group. They are too busy with their internal politics to take on such a massive organization."

"Someone has to stop them" I whispered, my hand slowly closing into a fist.

"That leads to my next point." As he says this he reaches beneath his desk. He lifts up a tan object, about a foot-and-a-half in diameter, a large dimple on each side with 2 black dots near the top. I felt like it was staring at me

"Meet this little guy" says Dr. Blaine, and places it dimple side up on the desk. As he finishes, it lifts itself off the ground with 4 short yellow legs, and, then upon its back two alone, revealing its black as night underbelly, and two bright red eyes. "This is the rock that you gave to me 2 weeks ago. He was a fossilized, extinct pokemon, whom we have revived using recently discovered technology. He is, in fact a new discovery and seems to be the first of his kind in modern times, to my knowledge. I want you to have it. You found it, and we have done all the research that we can at this point. It would be best if you kept it and observed it for now, as it grows. And now, for my final point. I know that you are angry with this team Rocket, and I have a proposition for you, if you are interested."

"What is it?" I asked through my tears. I had been crying for some time.

"I propose that you come and train with me. You see, not only am I one of the head Scientists here in Cinnabar, but I am also the Gym leader here. Now, you may be surprised to hear this, but I can see in your eyes, a faint glimmer it may be now, but I can see that there is great potential in you. If you were to train under me, I think that you may be able to do something about them."

"Like what?" my tears beginning to leave me with curiosity.

"Like destroying this horrendous organization for good. What do you thi-"

"I'll do it."

"My, you're eager"

"Somebody has to do it. I don\t what any more people to die. People like Steven" That was when the tears returned.

"Well said, Zack. Two last things. If you are to train under me you will refer to me as Master Blaine, rather than Doctor. Second, you are to befriend your pokemon. Do not be blinded by your rage. They are your partners, not your tools or weapons. If that is the case, you are as bad as Team Rocket."

"How can I start being friends with my pokemon?"

"How about naming your Pokemon, for starters?"

"Alright, I'll do it"

"Excellent. Meet me at my gym, tomorrow at noon. We will discuss the rest and begin your training at that time."

"See you tomorrow Doct- . . . Master Blaine"

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	2. Part 1, Chapter 1: A Man with a Need

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FOUR YEARS LATER

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Another day, another dream.  
Every passing day brings a new young, bright eyed boy to the city, looking forward to adventure, and enjoyment. Few leave in such a fashion. Today brings a boy of the usual variety. He was bright eyed, hair grown in the popular style, dyed in a dead one. He walks into town, jeans reluctantly upon the hips, a little too baggy, shirt a little too tight. The thwap of his sneakers echoed off of the cities cobblestones, bouncing from brick house to brick house. It is early in the morning, and he had spent the night in the woods just outside of the city. As they all are at the beginning, too broke for a place to stay, so they decide to stay outdoors for their nights. It doesn't stay that way for most of them though. The wilds these days seem to make or break a young man. Upon his hip lies his weapon of choice, his very reason for being there, like all the rest. He checks the shop, he checks the centre, and makes his final preparation. For tonight is the first step. Tonight is the first real challenge.  
Tonight is the fight that will give him the right to be free.

The air is dry here observes the young man. Being just behind the mountains, the rain must be stopped directly on the other side of the peaks. It would be wise to remember, and use this to his advantage, but he knows that he can't. It's all downhill from here, thinks he, as he walks upwards toward the gym, towards his destiny.

The windows are dark, which is strange, considering it seems to be about mid-day, and usually they are in full swing, preparing for the days training and competition.

I guess it's not exactly like home after all, he thinks. The air is dirtier here, but cleaner at the same time. It has lightness to it that he can't quite figure out. Just then he saw a young girl playing about in the front yard of a nearby home. What have I got to lose, he thinks to himself, and walks over to her.

"Excuse me, little girl. Do you know that building over there" says the young man, gesturing towards the gym.

"Yeah, that's where big brother works"

"Big brother, huh? Why isn't he working right now?"

"Big brother is in the hospital right now, so he can't work for a while"

"The hospital, huh? What happened to him, do you know?"

"He was walking down the street; when he saw my friend lose her ball onto the street. She went to go get it when a HUGE truck that was THIS big came up the street. My brother ran over to try to save her. That's what happened"

"Is your friend alright?"

"Yep, she's fine. Big brother will be fine too soon enough, just you wait and see."

"I don't exactly have time to wait. Can you tell me where the hospital is?"

"I don't know where it is. It's pretty far. But Big brother knows, I'll go get him"

"Huh, I thought he was- oh, hello, you must be this girls older brother"

"Yes I am" said the older brother. He was about the same age as the young man. He was fairly tanned and looked well-muscled for a man of his age, the signs of early work and labour.

"Can you take me to the hospital; I would like to see your brother"

"Oh, Brock? Oh yeah, sure. I'm Brick, by the way. So what do you want with my brother?"

"I'm a trainer, and I'm here to challenge him for his badge. It's nice to meet you Brick, my names Brett."

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* * *

The hospital was a tall building, designed the same as every other in this town. Every wall was flat and without blemish, almost without fault, seeming to flow perfectly from the very ground upon which it stands, as though it erupted from the ground in that very spot. The only difference between the hospital and every other building was its immense size. It was 24 stories high, and just as wide. It's a wonder that anyone can survive at that altitude, not to mention be healed.

"So, this is where your brother is, huh. Thanks for the help. I'll take it from here. You can get back to what you were doing. What were you doing, by the way? Shouldn't you have a job or something?"

"I could say the same to you. Shouldn't you have a job?"

"I do."

"Then what are you doing challenging gym leaders?"

"None of your business." and with that said, Brett walked quickly into the building. The first thing he noticed was the temperature. It was quite cool outdoors, and the temperature indoors was perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. At least they keep the patients comfortable with the temperature, if not with the amount of air. He walks up to the front desk, where behind sits a gorgeous woman, probably no older than 19 years. Cute face, luscious lips, long dark hair, and, well, the well-proportioned pair of breasts didn't hurt either. Brett walks up to her, with all intention to ask where brock is. But instead ...

"Hello Nurse!"

"Actually I'm just the receptionist here. Can I help you with something?"

"Yes you can. And that would be by writing your phone number down on that piece of paper right there and giving it to yours truly"

Brett smiled his most charming smile. The receptionist didn't.

"Look here, mister. I am not just some piece of ass waiting around to be picked up by any old ass hole off the street. Especially by the likes of you" and she slapped him.

"Having a rough day, huh?" said Brett, rubbing the newly slapped cheek.

"Shut up! Besides, I'm already spoken for. I've got a date tonight, real sweet guy, nothing like you. So why did you come here, anyway, other than to harass me."

"Oh yeah, can you tell me where Brock is? I need to talk to him very badly. You have no idea how important this is."

"Hmm, looks like Brock is just 'Mr. Popular today,' the last guy was asking for him too," she said with a sigh."18th floor, room number 6"

"Thanks a lot, miss crazy" he muttered beneath his breath.

He went to the elevator, pressed the button and sat down to wait. So he waited. And he waited. And he waited. And noticed the "Out of Order" sign on the floor just in front of the elevator

"F***" he muttered. "This is just my luck "

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* * *

When Brett finally climbed all 18 flights of stairs; he had stop and take a breather. Normally he could have taken such a climb, but not at this height. The air was too thin. His lungs felt like they wanted to leap out of his chest, his heart pumping like a tire pump on crack, and his thighs filled with hot coals. It was like his body had formed a union against his will, and was threatening torture if current conditions held up. As he was getting the workers back in line, a man walked up to him.

"Bro, are you alright?"

"Yeah.(huff) I've been (huff) worse,(huff) this is all(huff)(huff) I'm used to it (huff)"

"Alright. Is there any reason why you came up the stairs so quickly, when there's an elevator right there?"

"It (huff) doesn't work (huff)"

"No, the one BESIDE it doesn't work. This elevator's perfectly fine, though. Look for yourself."

"What are you (huff) talk-. . . (huff) s**t, you're right"

"You should look before you leap, buddy. Now, what would possess you to run up all these stairs?"

"I need (huff) to see (huff) somebody"

"Well, I wish you luck in your endeavors. Now seeing you after your mad dash up makes me want to try the mad dash down, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be-"

"Wait (huff) a sec. What's your (huff) name?"

"Oh, the name's Will"

"Well, Will, you're a good guy. My name is-"

"Oh-pah-pah-pah, don't tell me your name. I'll just forget it anyways, I'm terrible with names. And forever I will think of you only by your actions and words, rather than your name, isn't that so much more exciting! To live by your heart. Besides, is not a rose by any other name still just as sweet." said this strange man will, almost as though he'd done it a thousand times before. "And now I bid you, ADIEU", he screamed the final word as he began his race to the lobby. What a strange person.

As he stood straight to continue onwards towards room 6, he could have sworn he heard a whisper of laughter coming from both before and behind him.

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* * *

Brett stopped, and stood for a moment before the door to room 06. Behind this door not only lied the gym leader of Pewter City, but it also contained the hope for a future. With this in mind, Brett opened the door. What he saw was not shocking at all. What he saw could have been just any old man in his mid-20's, with tan skin, like that of Brick, and brown hair falling just past his eyes. The odd thing about his is that he wore a dark green house coat, going just passed his knees, where is revealed his leg, bound within a cast. By the looks of it he had just barely recovered from a bout of laughter. As he saw the door open, he sobered up the last of his chuckles in a hurry.

"And who might you be?" asked Brock, chuckles still returning to him, periodically, as though he had just remembered a good joke.

"Hi, I'm Brett. I sort of have to talk to you about something. It's really important."

"I've had enough requests for challenges today, and I don't intend to take any more."

"I'm not leaving until you hear me out."

"Did you not notice that this is a hospital? Did you see my cast? I'm in this hospital for a reason, you know."

"I need to talk to you" says Brett with finality.

There was a long pause, and Brock sighed. "Go ahead," said Brock, suddenly sounding very tired. "Say what you need to say"

"If I can't face you soon . . . people will die" Brett said, as tears started coming to his eyes.


	3. Part 1, Chapter 2: The First Challenge

Brett walked up through the streets of Pewter City on his way from the forest, where he had had some last minute training and planning for the battle to come. He had his chance, regardless of how ashamed he was of obtaining it, but that didn't matter now. All he had to do was not screw this opportunity up and it would be done for good. He thought one last time about how he would complete his challenge, and about what his chances could possibly be. It couldn't be too bad, after all the training that he'd been through this should be a breeze. But he figured that reality isn't always so nice. That is when he arrived at the Gym.

The Gym was a large hulking building, 3 stories tall and took up a large portion of the block, with a round window of about 3 feet in diameter near the ceiling in the front of the building and the door looked to be made of solid steel. This time, there was light coming from the window above. This time, there would be a challenge. He tried the door to the gym, found it unlocked, and walked inside.

He walked in, closed the door behind him, and examined the room. At once he looked back at the door to make sure what he saw, for it was simply unbelievable. What he saw was not the inside of a building, as he had so expected, but a cave. There was stone and dirt everywhere he looked and nowhere was the ground even. At some points the floor must have been merely 5 feet from the ceiling. The light was coming from large stadium-sized flood lights near where the walls met the ceiling, which were themselves covered in stone. Large boulders also littered the ground that could easily hide a fully grown man. Would this be brocks strategy, a sneak attack?

At one point, from the floor rose a solid cliff, with a ladder standing alone against its face. It was the only such ladder in sight. He looked around carefully, to see if this would be a trap. He was on full alert now, and knew that anything could be used against him. After some consideration, he climbed the ladder upwards. When he had reached the top of the ladder, a full 2 stories, he found two things. The second was that it was not precisely a cliff but a small plateau in the middle of the room, with a sheer drop on each side. The first was Brock, Bound to his wheelchair and the strange man from yesterday standing next to him.

"Hey, Brock and that person from the hospital. Um, Brock, what is he doing here? Is he your student or something?" The second man, Will, smiled.

"Not quite. As you know, I'm not exactly in the best of condition to take on challengers, and after going a few weeks without a challenge, I thought that I might be able to recover without an incident. But as Fate would have it, I got 2 challenges in the same day. Now, if I weren't injured, this wouldn't be a problem, but in my current condition, it is difficult for me to get around in here to take on challengers"

"So you're saying that-"

"Exactly. You two are going to battle for the chance to fight me, and a chance to obtain this." As he spoke he pulled a single boulder badge from the pocket of his housecoat.

"You can't do that!"

"I'm afraid I can. And if you disagree with that you can leave this gym."

"Fine, I'll play your games"

"Excellent. Now how many pokemon do you have, Brett?"

"I have 3 pokemon"

"That's perfect. Will here also has 3 pokemon. The battle will be 1 on 1. Victory on Knock out, move induced sleep not included. Each trainer will choose a single pokemon to use in today's fight. The trainer of the surviving pokemon will face me with their 2 remaining pokemon. Do you agree to these rules?"

"Yes" Say both Brett and Will simultaneously.

"Challengers, take your positions" called out Brock from his wheelchair

Brett moved closer to the centre. He thought that if he could stay on the plateau and throw his opponent off, that he could be in for an easy win. But which pokemon should he choose? Will continued in his unpredictable behavior by walking over to the very edge and taking a seat, with his legs crossed. What is this man thinking, what is it that this man is planning? I guess I'll find out soon enough.

"Challengers, choose your pokemon" called out Brock

The man seemed to select his pokemon without any hesitation. It must be something that has an advantage to this type of field. Could it be ground type? If so then I should use water, but I want to save my water for Brock. Hmm. I guess there's really only one other choice then. He grabbed the pokéball he desired from his belt and held it in his hand to signify that it was chosen. There's no going back now.

"Are the challengers ready?"

Both nod, Will grinning like an idiot. What is this man's problem anyway?

"The match will start in 3, 2, 1, BEGIN!"

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* * *

Brett quickly threw his pokéball, where it was consumed by a flash of light and returned to his hand, and from which his Nidoran appeared. It seemed like a regular Nidoran , purple hide, covered in abnormally long spines and horn for a Nidoran of that size. Its front tooth was chipped slightly, its ears were of average length, and boy did it look angry. All in all, it was an average run of the mill Nidoran , only with abnormally large horn and long spines, a total of a whopping 1' 8" from the ground up.

As he sent out his Nidoran , Brett never stopped watching Will. Will had nonchalantly let his pokéball roll from his hand to land right in front of him. In the usual burst of light appeared a 3 foot tall Grimer appeared. This Grimer, just like every other Grimer was just a large purple pile of Sludge and sewage, with saucer-like eyes, a grey mouth, and 2 arms ending in 3-fingered hands. He had a grin that looked just like that of its trainer. How irritating, thought Brett.

"How curious. I've never seen such a cute little guy before," said Will, grinning like some buffoon. He took a deep breath, and exhaled it like he tasted something in the air that was absolutely satisfactory.

"What are you smiling about?" called out Brett ?

"You'll see soon enough" returned will. That same smile. It was starting to get on Brett's nerves.

"Nidoran , charge him, and follow up with a double kick ! "

Brett's Nidoran ran towards Will's Grimer at top speed, growing angrier as he raced forwards. Closer and closer, while Wills Grimer did nothing. 30 feet, 25 feet, Grimer remained un-moving. 20 feet, 15 feet, Grimer continuing to sit about. 10 feet . . . and Brett's Nidoran slid to a stop, and ran back to about 15 feet away, slowly backing away.

"Now, Cuddles, Mud Bomb!" yelled Will

Wills Grimer, Cuddles, began to hawk a loogie, and spat a large clump of mud into his hand. He immediately threw it at Brett's Nidoran with deadly accuracy. It hits Nidoran in the face, eyes and mouth. It's Super Effective. He begins shaking his face viciously as he tries to rid his eyes and mouth of the dirt that was thrown from Cuddles.

"What was that?!" Yelled Brett

"My Cuddles' ability is "stench," meaning since he's been out of his pokéball his smell has been moving further and further out. I can't smell anything wrong with my dear cuddles, but I find that it surprises most pokemon at the first whiff. "Explained Will. Meanwhile Cuddles was gobbling down some dirt from the floor, no doubt to prepare for another Mud Bomb.

"That's not going to happen next time. Nidoran , use Focus energy, and forget about the smell of that pokemon!"

"Cuddles, prepare for combo number 3! "

Cuddles began stuffing his arms in his mouth and began using screech, greatly decreasing Nidoran 's defence. Nidoran began charging at top speed, un-phased by Cuddles' Odour, as though it had never been there

"Nidoran , Poison Jab! "

Nidoran charged right in and jabbed Cuddles with its long Horn. It sunk right in. It wasn't very effective.

"Now Cuddles, Finish it!"

Cuddles whipped its hands out of its mouth, covered in wet dirty mud, and slapped Nidoran twice across the body, one for each of its arms. Nidoran went flying several feet and fell upon the ground, bounced, and began tumbling over himself as he rolled back unconsciously toward his trainer. He stopped just before his trainer. Brett looked down at the knocked-out pokemon, and without emotion said, "return" as he returned Nidoran to his pokéball.

"Nidoran is K.O.'d. Will is the winner!" shouted Brock, to nobody in particular.

Brett looked down at his feet in silence. So, he thought, what now?

Will, meanwhile was treating the end of the battle quite differently. He called over Cuddles, and they held each other in a long embrace, neither making a sound, both simply pleased with each other beyond words.

"Well, that was something. Try coming again when you've improved yourself a bit more."

Suddenly, Brett sprinted for the edge of the plateau, and jumped over the edge. He had no more reason to live. All that he had worked for, gone into a puff of smoke. He didn't even go down in a blaze of glory. Heck, it was hardly a puff of smoke. As he leaped across the ledge, things seemed to slow down. He felt the slow work of gravity pulling him towards the cool earth beneath him, the air moving past his face, tickling the small unshaven barely noticeable hair upon his chin, even the sliding of time itself through his fingers. That's when it all went wrong.

As soon as Brett's descent began, he felt something sliding down the back of his neck, and his sensation of slowed time vanished into nothing. Next thing he knew he was slammed against the wall by some un-named force. His shirt was choking him to the point where he could barely breathe, and it was meanwhile digging into his armpits, all together supporting all of his weight. he looked up to see Will, His Curly, poufy hair falling about his face, his aviators sliding slowly down his nose, and his grin nowhere in sight. It seems as though Will had jumped face forward over the cliff in order to catch him, but that couldn't be right. If it were, how were they not plummeting to the ground below?

"DON'T YOU DARE DO THAT AGAIN!" shouted will, clearly quite displeased with the situation. "YOU LOST A BATTLE, BIG WHOOP. TRAIN HARDER AND WIN NEXT TIME. THERE IS ALWAYS A NEXT TIME. THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR!" at this point Will looked past Brett and saw the ground, and the colour ran from his face." Holy crap this is scary! Cuddles, can you help me up now?"

The 2 young men felt a tugging sensation as they started moving upwards an inch, and then they went back down that same inch.

"Come on, Cuddles, you can do it!" cried out will

"Geodude!"

Suddenly, Will and Brett were lifted up at a steady pace upwards and were placed back upon the plateau. The 2 looked to see what had saved them, but all they saw were rocks.

"What just happened?" asked Will "I thought I was a goner"

"That would be my Geodude. You'll see him soon enough. "

"I see, thanks Brock"

"Don't flatter yourself, I just didn't want to have to clean up the floor afterwards."

"Whatever your reason, thanks." said will. He then turned to Brett. "Now, WHY THE HECK DID YOU JUMP" shaking him by the shoulders. "THAT IS NOT EVEN A FAR ENOUGH DROP TO DIE FROM! DO YOU WANNA BE A CRIPPLE LIKE BROCK?"

"Hey, I'm going to be better in a few more weeks. . . and you're not listening"

"Fine! go ahead, kill yourself. Besides not like you have much to live for anymore anyways... You could do that. But if I recall, you tried to kill yourself after I beat you. It's my fault that whatever happens, happens. If I hadn't beaten you, you would be perfectly happy right now. I stole your happiness, and I just about stole your life. Now, are you going to give me your life, or are you going to give me what I deserve for what I've done to you"

Brett looked at his shoes in silence

"So what do you have to say about this?" said will

In the blink of an eye, will was lying flat on his ass, and Brett was flying over the edge. At the ladder this time. Will Scrambled over, just in time to see Brett dash through the door of the gym.


	4. Part 1, Chapter 3: Fish Out of Water

"So, I guess it's just the two of us, then." said WiIl

"You guess right, Challenger."

"You can call me by my name; we're the only ones here, after all."

"I'll call you by your name when you tell me it, challenger"

" . . . Hi, my name is Will . . ."

"Cut the act, challenger. Tell me your REAL name."

"That IS my real name!"

" . . . Fine. ' Will, ' Our battle will be 2 on 2. Each trainer will have one pokemon out of his pokéball at a time in the gym. You may use you pokemon that you used in the previous battle if you will, but I wouldn't recommend it. The battle is not confined only to this plateau, but may take place anywhere inside of this gym. Should the gym collapse due to any event, the match will continue in the wreckage of the gym only, and will ignore the surrounding city. There will be no assistance from outside sources in any way. We will battle until surrender or knock out. If you continue to attack the opponents pokemon after knock out, you will be disqualified, as well as if you attack the opposing trainer. Do you accept these conditions, ' will? ' "

"Yes, I do. Return, Cuddles, you did a great job."

Cuddles, who had been standing at Will's thigh returned to his pokéball.

"Challenger, take your position"

Will moved to the opposite side of the plateau and glanced at the window. He noticed that night was beginning to fall out doors. It's getting late, thought will. I ought to be getting back soon. Better make this quick.

"Are you ready, 'Will?' "

"Yes"

"Select Your Pokemon."

Hmm. This one's going to be a whole lot tougher than the last fight, thought Will, and now really isn't the time to gamble with mobility, as this place will be like a home to his pokemon, but . . . master always told me to trust my gut. Will pulled a pokéball from beneath his tough leather jacket, and held it in his hand.

"Have you selected your first pokemon?"

"Yes"

"Fine, 'Will', your Gym challenge Begins NOW!"

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* * *

"GO, Princess!"

Will tossed out his pokéball to the ground, and in its place materialized A majestic Goldeen, 2 feet, 7 inches tall, well above the normal height, with long luxurious white skirt like fins sporting the normal yet exotic red patterns and a small horn above her bright blue eyes.

The two of them stood there waiting for Brock to throw his pokéball, but Brock didn't move a muscle in his wheelchair.

"Didn't you say, 'Begins now?' "

"Oh did I? What I meant to saw was 'Geodude, Rock Blast !' "

Suddenly, a small boulder with 2 arms, 2 eyes and a mouth, about a foot in diameter erupted from the ground several feet before Princess, and began Hurling Multiple large Rocks at her.

"Princess, Dodge the attack with flail!"

Princess started Flipping out at random, seemingly in a panic, throwing herself about with her powerful, yet graceful fins. The dodge was only partially successful and Geodudes aim was true for three strikes.

"I was wondering how you were going to move with that fish!" said Brock

"Now, Geodude, Rollout!", "Supersonic!" yelled the two trainers simultaneously

Geodude flung itself to the ground in a ball shape and began hurtling towards Princess, while Princess began to take aim for her attack. She sang a song of such high frequency only audible to pokemon that Geodudes breakneck speed slowed down to a stop. Geodude looked around, and started vigorously striking his head against the floor. Now was the time to strike and take advantage of the situation.

"Now Princess, attack with a Water Pulse, and follow up with an aqua ring!"

Princess ejected water from the pores all over its body at great velocity in a great singular Pulse of water, enveloping every surface in sight, including Brock's Geodude. It was super effective. Using some of the leftover water, she formed a ring of water around her body, similar to a tube floatation device.

All the while Brock was trying to snap Geodude out of his confusion, and the sudden jolt with water certainly didn't help. As soon as Princess had finished creating her aqua ring, he snapped out of his confusion.

"It's time to stop playing games, Geodude. Let's use Double edge!"

Geodude quickly flew into Princess as fast and as dangerously as he possibly could in this life endangering Tackle-like attack.

"Princess, NOW!"

Princess lowered her centre of gravity and leaped right into Geodude's incredibly powerful attack.

"HORN ATTACK!" yelled Will, as Princesses small horn sunk Deep into the stone that was Geodudes Body, and made an audible *Crack.* Geodude began losing small bits of himself from his body, when he disappeared, returned to his pokéball.

"That was a risky move there. Less than a second more and that fish of yours would have been fries."

Will momentarily burst into a fit of laughter. He loved puns. Who'd have thought, huh?

"That was a lot more fun than the last guy. My heart is racing now!"

"I'm going to use my next pokemon, will you change your pokemon as well, and fight with your Goldeen later?"

"No, My Princess can handle you, can't you, princess?"

Princess seemed to nod with a smile on her face. It seemed that Will wasn't the only one who liked close calls.

"Alright, suit yourself. GO, ONIX!"

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* * *

Brock threw his Pokéball, and out came a beast of Gargantuan proportions. Will had to crane his neck, just to see its face. What he saw was Rocks, lots and lots of Rocks. No, on second thought, they were boulders, seemingly stacked upon each other, coming down and forwards at the front where the face resided, 15 feet off the ground. Will almost pissed himself.

"Sweet mother of god, that's big."

Upon closer inspection, it looked more like a snake, made of large rounded boulders, which got progressively larger toward the head. Upon the angular boulder-head were two angular eyes, a wide mouth and a spike on the top. Will momentarily wondered just what such a spike could be used for, when he was awe stricken once again by the sheer size of the pokemon. However, Princess only looked up at the hulking behemoth defiantly, as if demanding that the monster make the first move towards its own defeat, even though she herself was merely a fraction of its height.

The Onix wasted no time and dashed forwards towards Princess ay an incredible speed, especially for one as massive as this.

"Onix, use slam!"

Will snapped out of his awestricken state, and back into the battle.

"Princess, dodge with flail!"

But it was too late, princess was hit. She went flying off into the other direction and fell off of the plateau.

"Princess!" yelled Will, rushing to the place at which Princess had fallen. She was conscious, but she was badly injured. Luckily Princess had her Aqua ring, otherwise she'd have been knocked out by the powerful attack.

"Onix, dig." said brock, very calmly, in a way that implied that Will had no chance against his Onix.

Onix nosedived directly into the ground upon which he stood, and will saw that he was far longer than 15 feet, but more close to 25. The speed at which it entered the ground was amazing. It hurtled immediately through, and burst out from underneath Will towards Princess.

"Now Princess, WATER PULSE!"

Princess ejected water from all over her body, and struck Onix all over its body. It was immediately shocked by the water and thrashed about in its confusion, destroying massive boulders as though they were made of fallen leaves. Great, if this keeps up, princess' aqua ring will heal her completely.

As If summoned by the very thought, Onix snapped out its confusion, and looked at Goldeen with a look of total rage.

"Well, speak of the devil . . ."

"Onix, It's Rage Time!"

Onix used rage, becoming angrier and angrier, it's attack increasing at every moment. It wasn't even worrying about its accuracy anymore, so long as its path of complete destruction was in the general vicinity of Princess.

Will watched the situation from above upon the plateau. Princess can't move very well on land. A faster pokemon would easily be able to take advantage of this state, but a faster Pokemon, Princess is not. She had no hope. Will waited, and waited, and called princess as close to him as she could come. Onix saw this move and rushed towards her. He waited 'til the last moment, with Onix Beneath him.

"Princess, you can't do any more. Return!" and returned princess to her pokéball. Onix set its sights on him, but it didn't matter anymore. Will took out a pokéball, held it close to his face.

"You're my last hope, little buddy. It's down to you now." he whispered to the pokéball. "Let's show the world what we've been doing up 'til now." you couldn't tell from looking, but Will was wrenched with nostalgia, and was close to tears. "It's your time to shine. Go -!"

Onix was rising higher upon its rear boulders as will was having his moment, and was now higher than Will. In its rage, it was about to attack will, when he threw the pokéball at the Mighty foe, and it burst in mid-air, quickly releasing the pokemon on a trajectory towards Onix. The blinding light that released the pokemon flew right to the division between boulders in Onix's body, near the head, and there disappeared. This caused obvious discomfort with Onix, and Brock didn't like it.

"Onix, Fish it out with a sandstorm!'

Immediately, wind began picking up in the Gym, and the debris from Onix's rage began whipping about the room into every nook and cranny, especially those on Onix. Will covered his head and dropped to the ground, shielding his head from any stray stones that may come his way.

"You know what to do!" screamed Will over the howl and rattle of the stones against the ground. If Will hadn't been hiding himself beneath his tough leather jacket, he wouldn't have been able to see a thing through the sand. Only god knows where it came from, but it was here now. Onix had been crying from the discomfort (or it may have been pain. Will couldn't tell, for he wasn't familiar with These Titans of Stone), but all of a sudden, it stopped.

Along with the Crying, the sand storm began Dying down as well. After a few minutes, Will decided to take a peek out of his jacket. He looked around, and though he couldn't see anything, that anything included massive and dangerous pieces of debris, so he stayed out and started looking for the outcome of the battle.

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* * *

As the sand began to clear, at first all that Will could see was his hands held before his face, and then his feet, and eventually Brock as well. Brock was absolutely unmoved and un-effected by the sandstorm. He definitely deserved to be a Gym leader for Rock types.

Will and Brock locked eyes, and held them for a moment, he in his wheelchair, Will on his 2 currently fully functioning legs. They were the same, at that moment, apart from the amount that each could use their legs. 2 trainers, who couldn't see who won the fight was all they were.

Below the plateau, the sand was still whipping around with some velocity, and the outcome still wasn't clear, just like the air. Brock wheeled over to where Will stood, careful to avoid the massive gaping hole that his Onix had left behind. When he got to Will, he stuck out his hand, with a small smile.

"Congratulations,' Will.' You've won the battle."

"What? How do you know? "

"My Onix is so large; if she stood up right now I would see it. And she would if she could, which means that she can't."

"You've got a good point"

Brock looked over the edge, and took out his pokéball.

"Onix, return!"

And in a flash of light, the titanic creature returned to her pokéball. Will did the same.

"So, what kind of pokemon did you use to defeat my Onix with such stealth? If you don't mind me asking."

"I do, actually."

"My, you're just full of secrets, aren't you?"

Will didn't answer.

"Anyways, come with me"

"Where are we going?"

"I wasn't expecting to lose this match today, so I hadn't brought your rewards with me. We're going to my office to go and get them."

Brock wheeled over to the other side of the plateau, leaned over the arm rests of his wheel chair, and opened a secret trap door unto a ramp leading towards an elevator.

He saw the look on Wills face and explained, "How do you think i got up here with my wheel chair?"

"I really should have seen this coming." said Will

"Don't worry about it. You were caught up in the heat of the moment. It happens to the best of us."

They entered the elevator. Brock pressed a few buttons, the door closed, and they began moving downwards. After several moments, the Elevator stopped, and opened into a very normal looking room. The walls were beige, will a dark brown accent wall in the back, decorated sparsely by photographs of Brock and some of his family, along with shelves covered in small Geodes and fossils of various types. Brock wheeled himself behind a small desk and opened one of the drawers. The desk looked to be made of oak with a plastic overlay which was organized well, and had a small stack of papers on the left hand side. Out of the drawer, Brock pulled a small object between the finger and thumb of one hand, and a small case in the other.

"Here, take this Boulder badge. It has a certain quality about it that makes the pokemon of its holder even stronger than before," said Brock, as he handed the object which he held between thumb and forefinger over to Will.

Will looked at the boulder badge. It was a small grey octagon within another, slightly larger grey octagon, with small black lines connecting the corners of the inner octagon to the corners of the co-responding outer octagon. On the back, there was a small pin with which to attach the badge to an article of clothing, as well as several loops that came out of the back. The badge was made of a strange metallic material.

"What are these loops on the back for?" asked Will

"Some trainers prefer to sew the badge onto a piece of clothing, rather than pinning it onto their clothes to transfer it easily. It's just a preference for some trainers. Still, some others use a Badge Case to hold them."

"Okay, thanks" said Will

"Now, I know what you may be thinking, but this is not a Badge Case." Brock said, as he opened the lid. Inside the case laid 3 CD looking objects, lying flat, side by side. The one on the left was a milky white, while the other two were a solid Brown/Beige Colour. Each had a respective number on its face. From left to right, they were #34, #39, and #48.

"These are called TM's. A TM contains a technique that can be taught to pokemon! You can use a TM as many times as you want, so long as you have a new, reusing TM case. Otherwise it breaks after its first use, so if you can't wait to use one, pick your pokemon carefully. TM 34 Contains Bide, which when used, your pokemon will absorb damage in battle and pay it back double. TM 39 contains Rock Tomb, which Hurls Boulders at your foe and lowers speed. And TM 48 contains Rock Slide, which does what it sounds like, and can cause your foe to flinch. I give one of these, and only one to any challenger who manages to defeat me. Go ahead, Pick one."

"I'll take Rock slide. It sounds like it could be pretty useful" said will.

"There you go"

"Um . . . where should I put this? Is my pocket alright?"

"Oh, no, you need a TM Case. Here, I'll give you one. This happens every now and then, so I try to keep some on hand."

Will received a TM Case!

"Thanks, Brock. Now, I'm not totally sure on protocol at this point. It's my first Gym challenge, so . . . what now?"

"I think we're all done here."

The two trainers looked at each other for a long moment.

"So . . . should I just take the elevator, or what?"

"Oh, yes! Sorry" said brock, remembering where he was. "Just wait a moment, while I put the TM's back, I'll take you to the door." Brock said. He quickly put the TM's back in the Drawer, and wheeled after Will towards the elevator. The trip back was taken in silence.

Brock stopped Will at the door.

"Will, before you go, I want you to tell me your name"

"You can't always get what you want" answered Will, before he opened the door onto the night.

"Come on. You can't just go around living a lie. Who are you? "

"Brock, it's been a pleasure meeting you. Hope to see you again, in a better time." said Will, and shook Brocks hand. He left without a word immediately afterwards.

Brock looked in his hand. In it was a small round Stone, prefect for skipping across water. Carved and painted therein, was a large letter "P"


	5. Part 1, Chapter 4: On the Road Again

The Night. It's cold and dry up here. The sky is blank with City Shine, light pollution, whatever you want to call in, not a star in the sky. At least not here. In every house there is a light, after all, it's barely after dark. People inside, sitting, standing, eating, talking. Not a care in the world. They have no idea what's outside right now. If IT hadn't happened, would I have known? Would I be sitting inside my home right now, living my life like all of these others? Unknowing and stagnant? And had I known, Would I have cared? And if so, would I have cared enough to do anything? I hate to say, but I don't think I would have. Heck, if I were given a choice right now, whether I could be me or them, I don't know what I'd choose. I love who I am. About what I do, I have no arguments against, nor qualms or disagreements. In fact, I enjoy it every now and then. Gives me a rush, but all of the hurt, all the pain . . .

All the god damned loneliness. But whatever, it's not all the time, but it's enough of the time. Nights like these are the worse. All alone, with all of these happy souls, just a few metres away. Souls that could take away this blade I've swallowed, maybe even forget it completely. But this isn't the case. It's not the case tonight, it wasn't the case last night, and it won't be the case tomorrow. I walk this path because I am who I am, and I do what I do. There's a job to be done, and I'm the only one who can do it. I may not be the best suited for this line of work, but somebody has to do it. As they say, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. The night has been eventful, for sure, and this may be the last time I CAN work. But the night, though it has been quite eventful, is also quite young, and it isn't over. Not yet.

This went through the mind of a young man, for the thousandth time, as he popped a sucker in his mouth.

"No, not by a long shot" he said to the night

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* * *

Brock sat in his wheel chair in his home, the evening after his defeat and watched the news with his brother, sister and parents. He had been sent home from the hospital that day, and just wanted to have some quiet time at home before he went back to his Gym to clean up after the last battle and do his Paper work on the latest gym challenge. Nobody realizes that a gym leader has to do anything other than fight. He didn't even realize it at first. But if that's the only price to pay to do what you love and what you're good at, and get paid for it, Brock would gladly do 10 times his current paperwork.

"Today's Top Story is the attempted robbery of Pewter Museum of Science" said the News Anchor of PDN, Pewter Daily news on the television.

"Isn't that where you used to work, Brock?" said Brocks Sister, calling to him from the couch.

"What's that, sis?" asked Brock as he hobbled over from the kitchen

"Look"

"This morning, officials were stunned to find the Museum of Science broken into over the night, along with several rare artifacts removed from their Cases. However, this wasn't the average break-in. Upon entry, Officials found the culprits unconscious at the scene with a bag filled with all of the stolen objects. The museum had signs of a struggle, which officials say, resulted in the incapacitation of the thieves. Nothing is known as to the identity of whoever stopped the thieves, as upon awaking, the thieves were paralyzed as well as confused, and ' didn't know where they were', nor 'how they got there', and were incapable of identifying what had stopped them. The only evidence police have is a small polished stone, with a large letter ' P ' etched into it. However, police believe that the thieves are members of the Crime/terrorist syndicate called 'Team Rocket', who have elude police investigation for decades. If you have any information regarding the thieves, or their attacker, please call - - -"

Brocks head was spinning. What had happened? Could this be in any way related to that man, "Will" from the other day? It couldn't just be some coincidence. What could this mean? Could he have been some form of vigilante? He couldn't see any other explanation. And he was so mysterious as well...

"I have to get to the bottom of this" said Brock, much to the confusion of his family

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* * *

"Man, it's been a while since I've had such a good date," said Will. "Maybe I'll come back someday, look her up. That could be nice. What do you think, Cuddles?"

Will looked down to Cuddles, who looked him in the eye, and made a deep gurgling noise, emanating from within its membranous gibbering mass.

Will chuckled. "What? Why not, buddy? Is it the girl? You didn't like her? She was great! She was funny, smart, ambitious, and a total babe. No way, it couldn't be!"

Cuddles shook his face vigorously within its amorphous form and delivered a hearty Thumbs Up. Then he gestured with one arm all around his bone free body, to all of the surroundings.

"Oh, I get it. The girl was great, you liked her too! She was great, wasn't she?"

Cuddles agreed heartily.

"You just don't like the scenery. I should have known that mountains weren't your style, unless the mountains were covered in sewage, slime, and absolutely baked in radiation, am I right?" and dropped a wink towards Cuddles.

Cuddles Blinked, then blinked again more slowly. Again, this time the left eyelid closed momentarily before the right.

Will giggled. " Still trying to Wink, eh? You're never going to get this! It's been months since you started trying, but then again, You ARE starting to get better at that. Keep at it for a couple years, and you might actually get it done noticeably." Will Howled with laughter. Today was a good day.

Cuddles gave a series of noises. It was a kind of noise that sounded like a cross between a hiccup and the sloshing of a liquid in a nearly filled container.

"Yeah, you know I'm just teasing" said Will with a magnificent grin. "You're actually getting pretty good. When you started I didn't think you could do even this much. Now look at you!"

Cuddles smiled shyly for a moment, and continued with the sloshing-hiccups noise with greater force, this time.

"Oh Cuddles, you couldn't be shy if you tried, you joker. Boy those were some good directions she gave us. 'Follow the road and you'll get there eventually', man what a head on those shoulders." said Will Sarcastically.

The two, together looked at each other in tandem, and laughed hysterically. They almost had to stop their walk to laugh/ slosh-hiccup. That was when they came across a Fork in the road.

"Well speak of the devil. Those directions said nothing about a fork in the road" said Will with a smile.

Will looked to the left, and then to the right, checking the lay of the land to decide which way that he should go next. To the ground went steeply upwards, and to the north, dipping into a valley, before rising up to the next mountain. He closed his eyes and listened for something. Not for anything specific, but something that might give him a clue as to where to go. He must have heard, or not heard, what he had hoped for, for at that moment he pointed in a direction off of the path, and began marching into the forest.

"This-a-way, Cuddles!"

The two of them walked down through the trees for up to a quarter of an hour, when they came across a small mountain creek.

"Here we are everybody" Said will, as he tossed his two remaining pokéballs into the water. "There you go, Princess. There you go . . ."

In the water appeared Princess, and . . . Nothing else. She looked very happy.

"See, Princess, I remembered how long it's been since you've been in swimmable water, without any jobs to do." Will smiled at her. "It's Lunch time, guys. Enjoy this, we're going to be going into Mount Moon soon, so we won't have much time to be outside your pokéballs."

Will tossed some small fish into the water for Princess. She dived for it, and came up beaming. Those must have been some fish. Will grabbed a handful of some dark material, and dropped it gingerly into the water.

"Now if you guys are still hungry, you guys can go off and hunt for a bit, as long as you come back here in the next half an hour. Got that?"

Princess smiled up at will, and bolted off up stream.

"REMEMBER TO WATCH OUT FOR HIDING GRASS TYPES!" Will yelled after her. "Whatever, she's a tough cookie. I'm sure she can handle most wild pokemon, eh Cuddles?"

Cuddles smiled up at him, knowingly.

"Oh yeah, that's right. You know how well she can handle herself, with or without water" Will laughed.

Will pulled out from his Backpack a large thermos, opened it up and fed it to Cuddles.

"There you go. I got some good old crude oil. None of that ethanol for you, you've got to get the dirty stuff, don't you?"

After Will had finished feeding Cuddles, Will pulled out his own lunch, including a baggie containing a peanut butter sandwich with an orange, and began to chow down.

"Mm mm" said Will from a full mouth " These oranges sure are delicious. Johto really knows how to grow 'em"

Will finished up his Lunch slowly savouring the meal, while relaxing on the bank, listening to the sound of the mountains, practically breathing all around him. Eyes closed. And there he stayed for some time, when it clicked.

Wills eyes snapped open, and sat up, alarmed. Will looked to Cuddles, who had also suddenly become alarmed.

"You noticed it too?"

Cuddles nodded, gravely. It was quiet. That was the problem. The only sound was the creek and their own breathing, in and out, in and out. They were far enough away from any civilization and deep enough into the mountains for an incredible amount of wildlife to be everywhere. But now, not a single bird has sung. And then there was what had happened with the food. Food is quite the popular thing, but it didn't even attract a single hungry Bug pokemon. Something was wrong with these mountains.

"Looks like we're going to have to be pretty careful, Cuddles. Only natural disasters and 'Human disasters' can cause a lull like this to the wildlife. If we're lucky, or I should say if you're lucky, it'll be a 'Human Disaster.' You like what they bring to the game. But we should still be careful. IF It's a human disaster we have a better chance of surviving, so let's just hope they're friendly, and prepare for them to be hostile. What do they say? 'Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best'? "

With his rant finished, he relaxed, and kept his ears open for anything amiss. After all, he couldn't move until Princess returned, right?

Right?

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* * *

Princess returned a few minutes later, looking disappointed.

"Didn't find any fish, huh? Listen close, there are no birds or bugs either, see?"

Princess listened for a moment, and then immediately became alarmed. She then looked back upstream.

"What is it, Princess? Was there something suspicious back there?"

She nodded

"Alright, everybody back to your pokéballs, just in case."

Will returned the pokemon to their pokéballs, and began his trek upstream. he made sure not to walk right along the water's edge, as he didn't want to fall in the water, but made sure to stay in view of the creek. It was getting smaller and smaller, little by little. After about an hour it stopped, and he was now just following a dip in the ground. The sound was faint, but he could definitely hear human voices.

So it's a human disaster after all, thought Will. I hope they're friendly.

Will made his way up, slowly and cautiously, making sure not to be too loud. I don't want anybody sneaking up on my while I'm this tense, he thought, I might scream. He smirked

He came across a clearing in the woods, filled with large machines and a massive cabin. What the hell was going on up here?

Will walked around the clearing, close enough only to see the people in the clearing, and barely. There were a few machines near to the trees without people between the two, not that the majority of the people were moving. Most of them were standing at attention, and the few who were moving were merely making trips between the cabin, and some location out of sight. Will slowly approached one of the machines nearest the trees. At the edge of the Clearing, he crouched down low, and ran to one of the wheels of the large machine, and stood there for a moment, awaiting the reaction. It never came.

Great, he thought, they didn't see me. Now, what do we have here?

Will went down on his hands and knees, and peeked past the oversized wheel. There seemed to be two types of these various peoples, of which both men and women were apart. There were the People in Beige/Brown Overalls, dark long sleeved shirts and hard hats equipped with lights upon the fore head. From the looks of it, they wouldn't be a problem. It was the standing lot that would be a tad bit trickier.

The standing people were dressed a little bit differently. They were all dressed in dark clothing with grey trim from head to toe. This was a group who lived for the night. Neither was this a group that wasn't totally unfamiliar to Will. Each stander held either a pistol, or a sub machine gun, and each had a whip with several pokéballs on their waist. These were the problem. They didn't look like nice guys, and I'm sure that those overall-wearing individuals weren't just doing the standers a big old favour. It was time for some fun

Hmm, what am I going to use this time? Thought Will, as he started rifling through his Hiking Backpack. What makes sense? Here we go!

Will pulled out a red and black checkered jacket, old beat up Blue Jeans, Tough Hiking boots, and an old knitted cap. Will thought his current disguise over for a moment, and took a small case from his bag. He did what he had intended to do, replaced the case, and changed quietly and stealthily, placing his old clothes into his bag. He checked off his current outfit point for point, making sure that it was fool proof, and proceeded with his plan.


	6. Part 1, Chapter 5: A Quick Infiltration

Out from behind a large transportation vehicle, a man walked with comfort and curiosity, seeming to wonder what was going on within the grand mountain-side clearing. He wore a Red and black checkered shirt, rugged jeans, hiking boots, and an old knitted cap. His face looked well sunburned, at least what's you could see of his face. A large portion of his face was covered with a large bushy beard, that looked like it had been worn for months and wasn't going anywhere. He walked up calmly towards the nearest person, and got rather close, about 5 feet away, and seemed to hesitate and reconsider upon seeing the mans weaponry, because his pitiful physique was no deterrent at all. He seemed to decide upon his course of action, for he approached the small thin man slowly, until he was immediately behind him, and hesitated again. The little man had not yet noticed him, and neither had anyone else, which was strange considering their proximity and the population of the clearing. The man of Beard suddenly grabbed the small man by the neck and covered his mouth, and dragged him quickly back behind the large transportation vehicle. A bold move, considering that he was surrounded by armed men and the fact that this was in the bright mid day sun.

. . . . . .

Out from behind a large transportation vehicle, a man walked with Nervous demeanor, but not without authority, as though he was the master of the clearing and all those within. He wore Dark clothing , which was a tad too small for his height, from head to toe, with grey trim, like many others in the clearing. At his hip he wore a Revolver and a whip, like many others in the clearing. The only thing that set him apart from the others, was his red and sunburned, rather than pale, face and his being the only person in the clearing that wasn't clean shaven. He walked to a place near to the place from which he emerged, and stood there watching the situation rigidly and militantly. He noticed that people in Beige/Brown overalls, were emerging from a large hole in the mountain, that may possibly turn out to be a tunnel to the other side. Hopefully. But until then, there was work to be done.

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The bearded man, for that is what we shall call him until further notice ( or similar names) , stood straight for a long time. He had never stood so straight for so long before. Over time, others in his same uniform began looking his way, in short glances at first, which he caught with ease, as he wasn't being quite attentive on the workers in their overalls. They obviously weren't the brightest bulbs in the box, but they all looked straight out of the box. The factory must not be quite up to scratch. They soon started looking more and more often. Sometimes a beard catches eyes the way a nice juicy worm catches a fish. This went on for about an hour, until one of the armed men broke "formation" and approached the man of Beard.

"Hey, I've never seen you around before. Mind explaining why that is?"

"Oh, yes. I just arrived here this morning. I got lost for a couple of days in the woods, and when I got back I didn't have an opportunity to shave yet. There's no slack around here, is there?"

"Heh, you got that right. I'm sure you were briefed on our mission, right?"

"Not quite. the supervisor, boss guy didn't really explain it very well. Is he always so . . . unclear?"

"Hah, God damned James. Nobody knows why the boss chose him to lead this operation. Everyone knows there are way better men for the job. He never gets anything right."

"Yeah, I guess not. I'm new, and I don't really know protocol very well. . ."

"Well, it looks like this is your lucky day, kid. If you have any questions that are too hard for ol' James, just come to me, I'll take care of it. 'kay ?"

"Thank you, sir"

"And your first tip...", the mans gloved hand stuck the back of the bearded mans head. "NO TALKING ON DUTY"

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A loud whistle sounded off near the giant cabin. The man from before approached the bearded man once again.

"You know what this means, right Grunt?"

"NO, sir."

"Come this way, It's time to eat."

"Um, Sir, what do I call you?"

"Did they not pound this into you enough at the academy? We are Rockets now. We don't need names. Names betray us. Just continue calling me 'sir' ."

"yes sir."

Sir lead the way towards the large cabin. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't a cabin at all. Not really. It was a portable building Unit, used on Construction Sites and the like, only this one was far larger than any the "Grunt" had seen before. It was three stories high, and looked from the outside as though there was an auditorium inside, although that was ridiculous. He walked in unto a Cafeteria with a 7 foot ceiling, and tables galore.

"Grunt, You go to the bathroom and shave up. That beard isn't regulation, and if James sees it now, he'll rip it clean from your face. Don't worry, I'll pick up your food for you."

"Okay, thanks sir. Ummm, where's the bathroom?"

Sir pointed off towards the wall to the right. "right over there, and make it quick."

"Yes Sir"

The Grunt headed straight for the bathroom. It was a large bathroom, the likes of which could be found inside of a shopping mall. there was a long mirror and line of sinks underneath, with many urinals and toilet stalls at the far end. The "grunt" Grabbed a razor from a small slot which was beneath the long mirror, and placed it beside the sink. He looked himself in the eyes, and ran the water. He began tearing off his beard, piece by piece, letting each patch of hair slip down the drain. Probably into some tank in the Building Unit, thought the man. After all of the largest pieces were removed, he began washing his face vigorously in the running water, to remove all of the stray hairs and adhesive. After he was satisfied with the result, he applied the shaving cream to his face and begun to shave for real.

He left the bathroom, and spotted Sir with two trays of food amid a sea of Black and grey, sitting at a nearly loaded table. The "Grunt" walked right over.

"Is this my -"

"Sit down, shut up and eat." said Sir.

The "Grunt" sat down, and quickly ate his carrots, potato's and a small slab of Beef. Not a lot of good food down here, he guessed. He finished his food and stared at his plate for a while. He listened throughout the entire cafeteria, and there wasn't a single word spoken. A loud whistle sounded from a PA system in the ceiling. Everyone stood up, left their plates where they were, and began filing out of the building. I walked behind Sir toward the exit, out to our previous stations. From the look of things so far, this was going to be a long, long day.

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It is the dark of night. There is a mere scrap of light coming in through a barred window, mildly illuminating the outlines of several men and women, and nothing more. All were asleep. In this near silence a whispered dialogue began.

" Psst . . . Psst ! "

" Hmm ? " - - - a rustling noise

" PSST ! " - - - more rustling

" Whaaat ? I'm sleeping here."

" Shut up, and listen. "

" What's, wait, what ? " - - - a smothering noise, followed by the sounds of a short struggle

" If you want to live, shut the hell up" - - - the struggle continued.

" If you ever want to survive this damn slavery you have here, listen up. They can't use you forever "

- - - The struggle ended, and silence continued.

" There we go, not so hard is it ? "

" What in gods name are you doing ? Who are you ? How did you -" a soft smothering sound

" Quit the 20 questions and listen up. You want to get out? Here's what you're going to do. I've taken out the guards, so we're safe here. Here's the plan. First, You're going to wake up the rest of your workers, as quietly as possible. feel free to take your time. Second, once you hear me snap my fingers, you're going to go out the locked door, down the stairs, and turn on the light. The rest is up to you, but I suggest that you finish it up by dawn, whatever it is. Wait longer than that, and I'm afraid you'll be up shit creek with a massive leak in your canoe. Leave everything else to me, and follow these instructions to the letter. Your life, and the lives of everyone else in this room, depends on it. You have 6 hours. Use it wisely."

- - - silence, and the click of a shutting door.


End file.
